


Try And Keep Up

by Masquerain



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: F/M, whitehatshipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-02-16
Packaged: 2018-03-13 05:49:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3370139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Masquerain/pseuds/Masquerain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hilda runs into Brendan Birch on the way to Mauville City.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Try And Keep Up

_**Evening. Early Summer. Route 110, Hoenn.** _

"Kinda crazy that we'd bump into each other again, huh?" Brendan mused, walking next to Hilda with both his hands on the back of his neck, elbows in the air. 

"Unlucky's more like it," Hilda countered, keeping her eyes on the road ahead of her. She folded her arms across her chest. They'd been traveling down a dirt path that led through the forest from the Slateport to Mauville. The air was tainted with the tangy smell of saltwater mixed with the earthy smell of the undergrowth around them. 

"That hurts," Brendan said, feigning a hurt expression and putting a hand on his heart. Hilda walked a little faster hoping he'd take the hint, but Brendan moved so he was standing in front of her causing her to stop.

"Hey, are you still mad about last time?" He asked, his lips twisting into a slight frown and an apologetic look in his dark blue eyes. She matched his look with an icy stare. 

* * *

 

**_Afternoon. Late Spring. Petalburg Woods, Hoenn._ **

The air was warm and a light layer of humidity blanketed the forest. It felt heaving to the Hilda who still hadn't gotten used to Hoenn's constant humidity yet. The harsh afternoon sunlight beat down on the back of her neck. Her clothes clung to her and dirt smudged her face and hands. The only reason she'd come into these god-forsaken woods was because it was the only way for her to get to the Rustboro gym, but she was starting to wonder if it was worth it.

She'd spent the whole day navigating the forest, and spent a good, long while before admitting to herself that she was lost. Everything around her looked the same; green. She was too smart for this. Why had her internal compass decided to fail her right at this moment?

Her thoughts were unclear and she was dizzy from walking around so much, but she refused to take a break. She was going to get out of there by nightfall. Hilda stumbled through a grassy clearing, and tripped over her own feet. She fell face first onto the damp ground, catching herself with her hands. Next to her left hand was a terrified looking wurmple that scampered off as soon as she looked at it. Hearing a "squawk" behind her, she turned her head to see a wingull veering off right. It took all her willpower to push herself up into a sitting position.

 _Just what I needed to make this day better._ Hilda rubbed her left wrist with her opposite hand; it was sore after the recent fall. She scanned her body checking for cuts or scratches. Their was dried blood mixed with dirt on her knee, and she knew it needed to be cleaned soon so it wouldn't get infected, but she wanted to conserve the water she had. Hopefully there was a stream nearby or maybe-

A shuffling in a section of tall grass next to the clearing shook her from her thoughts. A tan-skinned boy stepped out with a mushroom-like pokemon trailing behind him. A slight breeze swept through the clearing, ruffling the light brown hair that stuck out beneath his baggy white hat. He looked about her height, if not a little taller and his brows were knit in a worried expression.

"Hey, are you alright?" The boy asked after walking over to her. His mushroom-like pokemon was now perched on his shoulder (a shroomish, was it?), and it stared down at her with a permanent-frown. He reached out a hand to her. Normally she would have been wary of taking a stranger's hand, but right now she was too tired to put up any resistance. The boy helped her stand and she dusted some of the dirt off her knees.

"I'm fine," Hilda said curtly. The boy's dark blue gaze flicked down to her knee, and she saw his eyes widen. She shifted her position so her other leg crossed in front of the bleeding one. Everything about her reeked weakness; her tiredness, her twig-filled hair, and the cuts and scratches on her legs. She hated feeling vulnerable like this, especially to someone she didn't know. She hated being looked at as weak and helpless, even if that was exactly how she felt right now.

"You're bleeding! Here, let me help you. I have a first aid kit in my bag," He'd taken his bag off and started unzipping it before she had the chance to say "No, really, it's okay". He pulled out a white kit with the pokemon center logo on it, and grabbed a single-wipe packet from inside. He ripped it open, and squatted down so he was eye-level with her knee. His shroomish still perched on his shoulder, observing what its trainer was doing. She felt incredibly awkward just standing there, and absentmindedly rubbed her left wrist to give her hands something to do. 

As soon as the wipe touched her skin, her whole body tensed up. He gently cleaned off the dirt around the cut and paused before cleaning off the cut itself. The soap stung and she winced at the pain. The boy stood up a few minutes later and grinned. Hilda looked down to see a bandaid over a small piece of gauze on her knee, and she had to admit it did feel better to have the dirt out.

"I guess I haven't introduced myself. Sorry, I get sidetracked pretty easily," The boy admitted, putting a hand on the back of his neck, and gave her a sheepish grin. "I'm Brendan, Brendan Birch. I'm aiming to be a pokemon researcher, which is why I was in the grass when you fell. I was observing the predator-prey relationship between a wingull and the wurmple you almost crushed."

 _Brendan Birch... why did that name sound familiar?_ Hilda studied his face for a moment before the realization hit.

This was the boy who studied under Professor Juniper for about a month in December. She'd run into him at the lab once while Professor Juniper was out and had to wait with him until the professor returned. He tried impressing her with his knowledge of pokemon and by advertising the fact that he was the son of the famous Professor Birch of the Hoenn region. He'd made several attempts to flirt with her and she shut down each one of them. Yet, that didn't discourage him from trying to talk to her, he just switched the subject from talking about them to talking about what he was researching. He went on and on and on about it. When Hilda tried to tell him she didn't care, but Brendan would only pull her to a different part of the lab and show her something else.

"Wait, have we met before?" Brendan asked, squinting his eyes at her and furrowing his brows.

"I don't think so," Hilda lied, turning her head away from him. He moved so they were still making eye contact.

"You're... Hilda! That's it! We met in Professor Juniper's lab in Unova! What are the odds, huh?" He asked excitedly. Hilda inwardly groaned, she had prayed to every god she'd thought of that he might not recognize her ("Thanks a lot, Arceus"). "Wait, are you lo-" 

"No!" She interrupted, crossing her arms and bring them down in a firm "no" gesture.

"Are you sure you're not lost?" Brendan prompted, a devious smile appearing on his lips. She said nothing, but her face reddened and she look down at the ground. She crossed her arms tightly against her chest. "You could've just asked me for help, you know."

"Fine, Birch, will you please help me get out of this forest?" Hilda mumbled staring at the ground.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you," Brendan asked, putting a hand up to his ear. After, receiving a glare from her, he quickly waved his hands in front of his face. "Kidding, kidding! According to my research, we should go left. Yeah, that's the way to get out on the Rustboro side." 

Half an hour later, she realized that she was grateful to have a native person's help because this forest was a lot bigger than she expected. Multiple times, Brendan pulled out a small device that resembled her xtransceiver, then changed direction or continued straight ahead. A few times, he grabbed her arm and brought her over to patches of grass to show her different pokemon and jot down a few notes or take a picture. They'd been a nuisance before, but now she was warming up to them. Another time, he sped off in a different direction without warning and left Shroomish behind. So, she picked up the mushroom pokemon and chased after him only to realize he wasn't anywhere to be found. That was when Brendan popped out from behind a nearby and tree. He ran up behind her and grabbed her by the waist, earning  him a few swift punches to the shoulder.

"Hey, bet I can beat you to that tree!" He challenged, already taking a giant head start.

"You're on, Birch!" Hilda called back, and darted after him. It didn't take her long at all to pass him and reach the tree before he did. She leaned her back against the tree, arms folded with eyebrows raised and a prideful smile across her face.  When Brendan reached the tree, he propped on arm up against it right next to Hilda's head. The brown-haired boy was out of breath, but managed to look up and give her a tired grin between breaths. Hilda couldn't help but laugh; he looked ridiculous. 

Looking away from Brendan, she gave the grassy area they were now in a once over. Something was off.

Why did this place look so familiar? Maybe everything was starting to look the same now that she'd spend so long in this forest. Hilda studied the grassy area and then it occurred to her.She whipped around to face Brendan and jammed her pointer finger into his chest.

"How did we end up in the exact place we started in, Birch? Didn't you say you knew these woods like the back of your hand?" Hilda accused, glowering at him. Brendan took his hand off the tree and put it behind his neck.

"Okay, okay. You caught me. The exit to the woods is just past this clearing. All you have to do is continue walking right and you're out." He admitted, gesturing with his free hand to the right. Hilda felt her face flush, and she opened her mouth to yell at him, but Brendan quickly started talking again. 

"I know it wasn't right, but you looked like you were having such a bad day. So, I figured you might want a little cheering up and I thought that, maybe, by showing you these woods weren't all that bad, that that might happen. You have to admit you had a least a little bit of fun."

"I don't have to admit anything to you," Hilda growled before turning around and stalking off.

* * *

 

_**Evening. Early Summer. Route 110, Hoenn.** _

Hilda hadn't forgiven him yet, and she didn't plan on it anytime soon. It frustrated her how easily he had been able to get her to let her guard down; how easily she had trusted him of all people. 

"You know I was only trying to cheer you up. You can't be mad at me for that," He pressed, a pleading expression woven across his face. He was right. She knew that. Letting her guard down that easily had left her feeling exposed, and she channelled that embarrassment at herself into anger; anger that she'd taken out on him. Hilda hated that she did that. She took her anger out on everyone else around her blaming them for her own issues, and in the end it only ended pushing people away.

"Fine, I forgive you," Hilda conceded, and Brendan's face perked up. She shot him a threatening look. "But if you ever think about doing something like that again, you're dead meat, Birch."

"Fine, fine. I promise not to do it again," Brendan laughed putting his hands up in a gesture of innocence. His usual goofy grin had returned, and she couldn't help but want to smile herself.

 The sun had slipped down during their walk and the sky around them had gotten considerably darker. The faint light of illumise flickered throughout parts of the forest. 

"It's getting late. We should probably set up camp for the night," Brendan observed, studying the area around them for a suitable spot to settle down.

Hilda nodded, and the two moved off-path to find a good place to set up camp.

* * *

They settled down in a dusty clearing about two minutes from the path. They each lay their sleeping bags on opposite sides of the camp. Hilda scoured the area around their campsite for kindling while Brendan set up a circle of rocks around a small fire pit he created. 

It wasn't long before they had a fire going. Flickering and crackling, it illuminated the area around them. It radiated warmth, combatting the coolness of the summer night. The sky above them was spattered with stars; the only other light source around. 

Hilda sat on top of her sleeping bag facing the fire with her knees bent and arms wrapped underneath them. She wore a ratty old hoodie with the faded logo of a Unova sports team on the front and her hair was down. Shroomish waddled over and stared up at her. She looked up to see Brendan walking over as well. He was wearing a black crew neck with a little white logo of one of Hoenn's gyms in the corner. His arm brushed hers as he sat down next to her on her sleeping bag, and she tensed up for a moment. Brendan sat with his legs crossed and his arms behind him propping him up. Hilda shifted her position to mirror his and, without warning, Shroomish hopped straight into her lap. He chuckled.

"You know what would be great right now? Marshmallows," Brendan decided. Hilda was about to nod, when she saw Brendan unzip his backpack and pull out a giant pack of marshmallows. Seeing the surprise on her face, he grinned. "I always keep a bag with me. In case of emergencies."

 _Of course, he would._ Hilda rolled her eyes and took a marshmallow from the pack. Dusting off a stick from nearby, she plunked the marshmallow on the end. Brendan did the same.

"Bet I can roast a more perfect marshmallow than you," he challenged, a devious glint in his eyes. 

"I'll toast you, Brendan Birch."

A minute of silence followed as they both concentrated on roasting their marshmallow's in what each considered the "optimal spot". Suddenly, Brendan's marshmallow burst into flames and his face contorted into a panicked expression. He frantically pulled his marshmallow back from the fire and blew on it several times. Hilda struggled not to laugh, and when Brendan saw her lips curving into a smile, his goofy grin returned.

"I guess you win," He sighed, forlornly taking a bite of his burnt marshmallow.

"Well, what'd you expect? It's not like I was up against any _real_ competition," Hilda said cheekily giving him a smug grin. Then, took a bite of her perfectly golden-brown marshmallow.

"Please, it was pure luck that you won." Brendan refuted. "Besides, burnt marshmallows are better anyway."

She shot him a disgusted expression.

"What? You don't like burnt marshmallows?" He asked with a grin, waving his burnt gooey marshmallow in her face. She shielded herself with one arm and pushed him away with the other. The brown-haired boy took a bite, then pushed her back, but with a little more force than hers. So, she pushed him back. _Hard._ It caused Brendan's one arm propping him up to fall out from under him and fall with him. She ended up hovering just barely above him, and Brendan's lips turned up into a coy smile.

"Wow, Hilda, I didn't know you felt this way about me," He joked raising his eyebrows at her. Hilda scrambled to push herself up so she was off him. 

"Shut it, Birch," She sputtered, turning away so he couldn't see the blush that had risen to her cheeks. 

"Well, I'm off to bed. If you have any love confessions you want to share with me, save em 'til the morning," Brendan yawned, and stood up. Bringing shroomish with him, he went back to his own sleeping bag.

"Night," Hilda replied. 

* * *

 Hilda woke to the sound of taillow chirping and the first light of dawn filtering through the forest. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Glancing over at Brendan, and saw that he was still sound asleep. He was softly snoring and curled up on his side. His hair was messy and his hat lay on top of his backpack next to his sleeping bag.

 _Of course, he'd care more about his hat getting dirty than his own personal hygiene._ She swallowed a laugh and redirected her attention to packing her stuff up quickly and quietly.

She'd just finished rolling up her sleeping bag when she noticed Brendan's shroomish standing next to her and staring at her groggily.

"Don't wake up Brendan, please. I... just have to leave," Hilda whispered nervously. The shroomish's expression remained unchanged. "Don't look at me like that. Here- I'll leave him a note. Will that make you happy?"

She grabbed a notebook out of her bag and ripped out a piece of paper. She slung her backpack over one shoulder and scribbled down a quick message. Hilda rolled it up and gave it to the shroomish to give to its trainer. It read:

_Try and keep up._

_\- Hilda_


End file.
